A Sign in the Dark
by a24HourSmile
Summary: Laura's parents were always so happy together. So when it's announced that they're going to divorce, the teen is thrown for a loop. If that's not bad enough, they're making her decide who she'll live with. Unless something drastic occurs, she's gone.
1. Prologue

As the sun set, a young girl walked out of her house and onto the beach. She slipped off her sandals and walked slowly through the lapping waves, the water hitting just above her ankles. In eight minutes, the sun dipped just below the horizon, leaving her world cloaked in darkness. Finally, she got to 'her spot.' It wasn't anything special, just a large group of rocks; but still, it was 'her spot.' She often sat there when she needed to think. And right now she did. Her world was falling apart; her life spiraling quickly down the toilet.

"Are you there God?" she murmured up to the sky, which was already sprinkled with stars. "It's me, Laura." She paused for a moment and chuckled to herself. _I sound like that Judy Blume book!_ But still, she continued with what she had to say. "I love it here in Playa Linda. Don't make me go." Again, she paused, her eyes staring intently at the sky as if she was trying to will God down so that she could talk to him, face-to-face. "And I think you know what it is that'll keep me here," she said softly to herself as she began her trek back to her house.


	2. Chapter 1

For the next couple of nights, Laura went to 'her spot' and continued her chats with God, ending with 'Please send me a sign.' Weeks passed and no sign showed up. A knot formed in her stomach as Laura began to contemplate if she should even go to 'her spot' anymore. She knew that she only had a month left until she had to say good bye. But at nine o'clock, she found herself heading to 'her spot.' With a sigh, she plopped herself down onto one of the rocks. She bit her lip as she looked out into the Pacific Ocean. She reached back and swept her long blonde hair back into a ponytail, her eyes never leaving the majestic waters in front of her. The task completed, she began her talk, though she thought that God turned off his hearing aid whenever she began her ramblings.

"And _please_," she pleaded. "Send me a si…" Her eyes widened as a body appeared out of the shadows and crumpled to the ground. She pushed off of her perch on the rock and rushed to the body. Up close she noticed that it was a girl with long blonde hair and fair skin. Laura bent down and tried to prop the girl up. After several minutes of battling with the seemingly unconscious body, she finally managed to sit her up.

"Wha..?" The blonde girl started. She looked around frantically, and then, turning to Laura, said, "I'm Sara," and then wretched all over her.

Gagging, Laura rushed out into the ocean to clean off herself. Returning to Sara, Laura stooped down and clumsily hoisted her up. She draped one of Sara's arms over her shoulder and began the long walk back to her house. After what seemed like an hour, she arrived at her beach house. She stumbled through the back door, nearly dropping Sara. Quickly, she regained herself and took the remaining steps into the living room and gracelessly threw the hung over girl onto the couch.

"Wow. Your couch is squishy. I wish we had a couch like this at my house," Sara said in a daze, an odd look flashing across her face.

"Oh no you don't!" Laura ran and grabbed a bucket from the utility closet, placing it before the girl just in time to catch a spew of vomit. Laura heaved a sigh of relief. That was a close call. Soon after, Sara drifted off into a drunken slumber, and Laura sat on the recliner to the left of her. She didn't sleep. She watched this girl, analyzing the situation. Did God really listen? Did he send her the sign she so desperately craved?

"Laura," someone hissed from behind her. She groaned, having just managed to fall asleep. "Laura!" the person said again, this time a bit louder.

"What?" she whined. She opened one eye to see her mother peering at the strange girl on the sofa.

"There's a girl on our couch. And she smells like vodka." Laura had become used to her mother detecting alcohol. For the past ten years, she had been a heavy drinker, and she could sniff out anything with the even the smallest amount of liquor in it. With the help of the Playa Linda chapter of Alcoholic's Anonymous, she had cut it down to only two drinks a day. It was enough to make Laura happy, since she was making an effort to change, especially since her mom's motto used to be "A bottle a day keeps the demons at bay, and three take care of your dad." Cassandra Matthews had begun her heavy drinking when Laura was only seven. She had come home to find her husband, and Laura's father, in bed with his secretary. Two years later, their ever-so-messy divorce was finalized and she took to her maiden name, Cassandra Brooks. Ms. Brooks gained sole custody of Laura, and Laura herself adopted her mother's maiden name too. It was a rare occurrence, but they figured it to be in everyone's best interest.

Just then, Sara's eyes fluttered open. "Where am…" Ms. Brooks dove for the bucket and held it up to her mouth.

"C'mon honey, let's go make some of Mama's Brew," Ms. Brooks said softly, giving a steady hand for Sara to grasp. She turned and sent a sharp but confused look at her daughter before disappearing into the kitchen with the older, blonde girl.

In a couple of hours, Sara began to snap out of her hung-over stupor. By noon, they were even able to hold a conversation with her.

"Well, I ran away last year, from this rehab place. I was into drugs and smoking, and obviously alcohol," Sara explained. She looked at her two 'rescuers.' She expected them to draw back, make a face, or share a look of surprise. They did look at each other, but it wasn't in surprise. If anything, it appeared to Sara as if it was a knowing look.

"I used to be an alcoholic, and when I was younger, I experimented with drugs," Ms. Brooks revealed.

"Oh wow," was all that Sara could manage to say.

"And I ran away when my parents divorced. I thought it was my fault, and that if I was gone, they'd stay together," Laura chimed in.

"Drinking and drugs won't solve anything," Ms. Brooks added wisely.

"What about,"

"No. Neither does sex."

"Oh."

The three females sat in silence.

"I bet your parents are worried about you," Laura spoke, breaking the silence. Sara snorted, but stopped, thinking back to when she ran away.

"They probably have the coast guard, National Guard, and whatever other guards there are out there, looking for me," Sara said sarcastically. Ms. Brooks slid the cordless phone over to the oldest blonde. Sara stood up and walked over to the living room and collapse on the couch. She punched in a few numbers and then held the phone to her ear.

"Hey mother…mom…MOM!...I'm fine!...Yes, yes, it was late so I crashed at a friend's place…yes there was adult supervision…her mom is right here, do you wanna talk to her…well I'm not going to come home tonight…I'm gonna stay here…yes, she's okay with it…yes…MOM! Goodbye!" Sara hastily punched the off button and stood up.

"Would you like to," Laura began to offer.

"Oh no, it's alright. I'll probably stay at a motel or some other friend's house," Sara said, not wanting to burden them anymore.

"It's fine! We have an extra room upstairs. Stay as long as you like!" Ms. Brooks said with a large smile, sending a wink in her daughter's direction.

"If you're sure…"

"Of course we're sure!" Laura said excitedly.

"Well alright."

Laura's brain began to whir. Maybe, just maybe, He had answered?

"Hey," Sara cut into her thoughts. "You up for a party tonight?"


	3. Chapter 2

The light from the bonfire washed over Laura. She looked around nervously. She had lived in Playa Linda her whole life, and yet she didn't know any of the people that walked past her. Sure a couple of them looked familiar, but none that she could approach and start a conversation with.

"Here you go." Laura jumped. Sara stood next to her, two cups in her hands, one of which was outstretched to her. Almost immediately after they arrived, Sara had disappeared, and Laura didn't really expect her to return.

"Uh, thanks." Laura took a small sip. It burned her throat as she swallowed. Sara looked at her. "Um, this is really good," Laura paused to take a look at the liquid in the cup. "Punch and vodka." Sara smiled triumphantly. While Sara was preoccupied with checking out some guy, Laura tossed the liquid into the fire, which grew a bit with the new fuel.

"I can't believe how well you clean up!" Sara commented, returning her attention back to the fellow blonde. Laura had traded in her signature jeans and vintage tee for a tiny jean skirt and a tank top. On top of that, her hair was falling down her back in soft waves and her big brown eyes danced in the firelight, rimmed in kohl eyeliner. The last time she was even remotely this girly, she was the flower girl in her father's second marriage. After the horrifying memories of ruffles and pink, Laura refused to wear anything that showed that she had a figure. Sara literally had to force her in the clothes that she wore now. All in all, Laura felt like a poser, and she was sure that everyone there could tell.

"But,"

"No buts! You look _divine_!" Sara gushed, her big green eyes scanning the crowd. "Look over there. That's Lucas and Bradin." Sara launched into a big tale about how Lucas was Tanner's younger brother, how Bradin and Tanner were like, rivals, and that Lucas and Bradin were now very close friends.

"So they're best friends?" Laura asked, confused.

"Oh no. Guys, especially surfers, refuse to use the words 'best' and 'friends' in the same sentence," Sara stated matter-of-factly. Laura gave her a perplexed look, but Sara was too busy flirting with some guy that had just come up to her.

"Uh, Sara…" Laura tapped Sara on the shoulder. Laura bit her lip, unable to decide if she should laugh or throw up. In a matter of minutes, Sara and the boy that had been dumb enough to approach her, were in the third quarter of their very intense game of tonsil hockey. Either her companion could no longer hear and lost all feeling in her left shoulder or she was ignoring her. A laugh sounded behind her, and the blonde jumped. Her eyes landed on a tall guy, with blue eyes and sandy brown hair.

"I'm Lucas," he said with another chuckle. He stuck out his hand for her to shake. She looked down at it and folded her arms across her chest.

"Laura." She gave him one of those 'I-know-what-you're-up-to-but-I'm-not-going-to-put-out' looks. He raised his hands, as if to say he wasn't guilty.

"You looked a little…lonely." Lucas's voice lifted at the end, making it sound more like a question than a statement. He stared at her intently. "Are you new here?" he asked after a minute or so of just staring at one another.

"Nope." She had no desire to engage in friendly conversation. She didn't even want to be there in the first place.

"Then how come I…"

"Haven't seen me before?" she finished. She gave him a thin smile but her eyes sparkled with annoyance. He nodded, intimidated by her aggressiveness. Instead of giving him a verbal response, she just shrugged her shoulders. He tilted his head and cocked a solitary eyebrow. When she didn't say anything, he grabbed her hand. Her head shot up, he brown eyes seeming to bulge out of their sockets.

"Come join me. We have some beers over there." Though he wasn't audibly laughing, you could see it in his eyes and catch it in his tone.

"But I don't drink," Laura protested, though she allowed him to pull her away from Sara, the strange boy, and the fire.

"We can change that," Lucas stated confidently.

"I don't think you understand what I'm saying," Laura stopped in her tracks, her eyes regaining their steeliness. "I. Don't. Drink," she reiterated, pausing between each word so that Lucas's surfer brain could comprehend what she was saying.

"Alright, alright!" Lucas gave in, pulling her again. She gave a frustrated sigh but complied with his tugging.

"Guy, this is Laura. Laura, these are the guys," Lucas introduced brightly. She looked at the handful of guys before her, all of which appeared to be surfers.

"Um, hello," she said uncertainly. "Do these 'guys' have names?" Laura asked, directing the question to Lucas.

"Of course we do!" a semi-short, dark haired boy exclaimed. She squinted her eyes at him and he drew back under her stare.

"Well yeah, but there's no point in trying to," Lucas began.

"Look," Laura interrupted. "While you guys may not be able to remember anything much beyond the number for 911, I myself can _amazingly_ remember the names of six boys." Laura glared at the guy in front of her.

"She's a feisty one!" Lucas laughed. "Dude, can you get her a drink?" Lucas asked a very tall redhead, with a quick wink.

"Ah, I see. You can't tell me their names because you don't know them yourself! It all makes sense now." Laura really wasn't in the mood to be there. Maybe if she got to be in her own clothes and had been allowed to bring someone she could hold a decent conversation with, things might have been different. But throw a tomboy in a miniskirt into a pit with mindless surfers and you have the recipe for teenage angst à la mode.

"I'm Bradin," offered the boy that Sara had pointed out before. Laura sent an icy glare Lucas's way, and then turned to Bradin, a genuine smile playing across her face. She shook his hand.

"I'm Laura," she re-introduced kindly. Bradin smirked and brought her hand up to his lips, laying a sweet kiss on the back of her hand. Laura's eyebrow shot up as she tried to conceal the smile that was trying to spread its way across her face. Her eyes met with Bradin's emerald ones, both of theirs sparkling for some unknown reason.

"Here's your drink." Their eye contact broke and Laura pulled her hand away from Bradin as she looked at Lucas. He offered her a cup and she took it thankfully. She was kind of thirsty, since her first drink had been a bust. She brought the cup up to her lips and gazed over the brim at Lucas. His eyes focused on intently. She took a quick sniff and was almost knocked off her feet.

"How _stupid_ do you think I am?" Laura shrieked, pouring the contents over Lucas's head. The group that had clustered there gasped and then burst into laughter.

"Wha…what? You didn't even drink any!" Lucas protested.

"Oh come on! You'd have to be an idiot to not recognize that as beer!"

"But it wasn't…"

"Oh God! Don't even try to say apple juice! I learned when I was five that mommy's 'apple juice' in the fridge wasn't the same as mine!" Laura growled.

"Like mother, like daughter," Sara laughed, coming up to the group. The guy who she had been in a major lip lock with had vanished.

"Huh?" some random surfer listening in questioned.

"Never mind." Sara waved her hand and turned her attention to Laura. "I'm beat, what do you say we head back home?"

"Meaning there aren't any appeasable guys left for her to swap spit with," Lucas whispered in Laura's ear. She giggled.

"Wait, so Laura's staying with you?" Bradin questioned.

"Nah, I'm staying with her. The parentals and I aren't really seeing eye-to-eye right now," Sara explained.

"Oh," was all that Bradin could think to say.

"So I guess I'll be seeing you around, then?" Lucas questioned, leaning in close so that no one else could hear. Laura turned to follow Sara down the beach. Lucas looked after her. Suddenly, she turned around, a good distance between them.

"We'll see!"

* * *

**Special thanks to **dramagrlkandykane33 Summerland ChickShellyTorialovelynsweetsam1Bsoxbabejessebradinsummerlandobsession**, and **renrie** for your reviews! They mean the world to me! The more I get, the more excited I am to write, therefore I write more, and FASTER! I have this whole story planned out, and well...rumor has it, there will be a sequel. But that's all pending on the reviews that I get! So keep 'em coming! Questions, comments, suggestions, I'm open to them all! Keep on with reading! **xoxox a24hoursmile


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